1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic car toll computing and charging method, and more particularly to an automatic car toll computing and charging method which can be applied in any kind of toll road and bridge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional automatic car toll paying method is disclosed by TW Patent Nos. 287264 (xe2x80x9cToll payment systemxe2x80x9d, reference 1) and 365671 (xe2x80x9cAutomatic car toll paying methodxe2x80x9d, reference 2). In reference 1, it includes an on-vehicle communication equipment, and an electronic account coupled to the communication equipment, wherein the electronic account is part of a cash system. And, the toll payment system includes a positioning communication equipment for positioning the communication equipment, and a distant communication equipment for communicating with the on-vehicle communication equipment and exchanging a valuable account transfer message through an assured encrypted figure to practice the toll payment.
Reference 2 disclosed an automatic toll paying method for a transportation tool driving on a highway or in an area, wherein each individual transportation tool sets a communication inputting device for communicating with a center unit and with a roadside unit in a substantial toll station and at least a virtual toll station which is geographically related to the substantial station previously decided. Moreover, the communication equipment of the transportation tool includes a receiver of a GNNS system which provides a signal and a first processor thereon to read a position of the transportation tool so as to compare with a position of the virtual toll station which is already stored in a memory for detecting a car which is entering the virtual toll station. Furthermore, the communication equipment of the transportation tool informs a transaction of the toll through a digital mobile transmission network of the center unit and then the center unit will process the toll transaction of the transportation tool and transmit a received note of the toll back to the transportation tool through the communication equipment When arriving the substantial toll station, the communication equipment of the transportation tool will send the received note to the roadside unit through a communication therewith to be an evidence of the already paid toll.
References 1 and 2 described above both utilize a car positioning device for detecting and recognizing the car which arrives the toll station and then transmit a message about arrival of the car to the billing center through an on-vehicle communication equipment for charging the toll.
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic car toll computing and charging method which employs a cellular phone to process a log in and a log out of a car toll computing and charges the car toll through calculating all cell IDs that the cellular phone passes therethrough during the log in and log out.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic car toll computing and charging method which can achieve an automatic computing and charging without employing an on-vehicle positioning device to detect an arrival of a toll location so as to economize the cost.
Another further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic car toll computing and charging method which can be carried out just through a commercialized cellular phone in market.
For achieve the automatic car toll computing and charging method described above, the main concept of the present invention is that each cellular base station has a limited communication coverage in the cellular phone system. And, because each cellular phone owns a cell ID, when an on-vehicle cellular communication equipment under using passes through one communication coverage and enters another communication coverage, the cell ID will be handed over to another cellular base station. Therefore, the toll of the car can be charged through recording all cell IDs which the on-vehicle cellular communication equipment under using passes therethrouh. However, for avoiding any cellular phone which is under using from being recognized to be charged and to pay the toll, the user has to call a specific number representing a log in of an automatic computing and charging through the on-vehicle cellular communication equipment previously. Furthermore, for differentiating the car which does log in and which does not log in, a connection between a cellular phone number and a vehicle identification number has to be stored previously in a billing center, or the user has to key in the vehicle identification number or other car IDs sufficient to bring out the vehicle identification number. And then, the user can hang up the communication equipment. After the on-vehicle cellular communication equipment which has been logged in leaves the toll road, the user again has to call a specific number representing a log out of the automatic computing and charging through the on-vehicle cellular communication equipment. All the cell IDs of the cellular base stations passed therethrough by the car during the log in and log out are calculated for charging the toll. Moreover, the toll road or bridge further comprises an inspection location which sets one or more automatic photographing devices for recognizing a license plate, and when the car which does not process the log in of the automatic computing and charging through the on-vehicle cellular communication equipment, does not previously store the connection between the cellular phone number and the vehicle identification number in the billing center, or does not key in the vehicle identification number or other car IDs sufficient to bring out the vehicle identification number passes through the inspection location, it will be recognized by the automatic photographing device, and an image and the vehicle identification number of the car will be an evidence for processing a toll supplying.